Musical spoons



g- 26, 1958 I w. R.-HAlNES 2,848,839

' MUSICAL SPOONS Filed April 22, 1955 ;/6 /5 INVENTOR.

WALTER R. HAM/5 6 M ATTORNEY "United States Patent ice 2,s4ss3'9'" MUSICAL SPOONSI" Walter n-naines, Seattle, Wash. A iiu'atibn Apnizz; we; sritti'-'No:s0s,z42*

s claims. c1. us -191 This invention relates" toan amusement device of the musical-rhythmic type.

An object of the invention is to provide a rhythmic amusement device of the clapper type which can be operated initially with a minimum amount of skill, and as skill increases can be used for more" and more varied rhythms" and eifects.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rhythmic clapper which can be manipulated inPa-variety of manners to" providediflferent rhythmic and tonaleffects;

Another object of the invention is" to provide a musical spoon assembly permanently holding tog'ether'a pair of specially made spoons properly arranged for use as a clapper.

Another object of the invention is to provide a musical spoon assembly which is simple and rugged so that it is suitable for continued use by children without breaking.

In general the invention provides a pair of specially constructed spoon-like objects closely resembling teaspoons, held together at their outer ends by a suitable grip. The outer ends are spaced apart and the spoons are arranged with their bowls back to back, so that they will strike together when the device is properly manipulated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying the principles of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device.

Basically the invention makes it possible for any one to manipulate a pair of spoons as a musical-rhythmic device, and it does this by providing a novel mounting for a pair of specially constructed spoons.

The complete assembly includes a pair of spoons 11 and 12 mounted in a grip 13. The spoons 11, 12 are arranged with their bowls 15 back to back and spaced apart as shown in Fig. 4. The handle 16 of each spoon 11, 12 has an arched portion 17 and terminates in an extended, relatively narrow portion 18 of rectangular cross section, unlike that of table silverware and adapted for assembly with the grip 13. For that purpose also the end 19 of the spoons 11, 12 are bent at right angles toward each other.

The grip 13 comprises a pair of plastic, rubber or wooden blocks 20, 21 shaped especially to give a proper hand-hold, provided by the rounded contour in which there are two concave curves 22, 23 separating three convex curves 24, 25, 26. Each block 20, 21 is provided with a generally rectangular-U-shaped groove 27, as shown in Fig. 2, in which the spoon handle portions 18 fit. The handle portions 18 may be cemented, press fitted, or otherwise retained in the grooves 27. The two blocks 20, 21 may have their inner surfaces 28 cemented 2. together, or they" may be held together by screws or other fastening meains. m

The assemblednhyth'mi'c device" is adapted for use in many different ways; of which several examples will now begiveflr .7

The simplest way" of" using it is for the' user to sit down and While holding thedevice'in hisright' hand, hold his left hand open about six inches above" his left leg. Thenhe can rock theidevice" 10'back and forth between l'aisleg and hand so that it strikes the hand at one extremity and the leg at theotlier. Instead of using the left hand, the 1m elbow may be used, to give a somewhat diif erent' sound.

Still another way ofusing'fthe device is, while} holding it in the right hand," to oscilla'te it' between the left hand and the cheek A double roll may be achieved by holding the left hand above and betw en theleg s, the legs being spread apart: then the musical spoons are rotated around hetweeir the left'l'eg', the'lefthand and the right leg.

Stilhanother way" ofu sing' it is" to sp'read the fingers of the left hand wide and draw the spoons across them, thereby giving a drum-roll" effect.

A left-'handed'persoir may'operate the device as above, except to 7 opposite hand".

It will 'besje'en' thatt-h e "simplicity of operation achieved by the nevercenstrueaoirdescribea herein, together with its rugged structure, makes it an ideal device for amusing children and adults and at the same time for instructing them in music, especially as regards rhythm. In this manner the device serves to provide a harmless and instructive form of amusement in place of many of the more destructive forms which children sometimes engage in.

It is suitable also for increasing the social awareness of children, since it can be used in group activities. Different size spoons can be used by different choirs to achieve difierent rhythmic elfects and different tones.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely difiering embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

I claim:

1. A musical rhythmic amusement device comprising a pair of spoon-like members having bowls at their outer ends, said bowls being arranged adjacent each other back to back and spaced apart from each other, and having handle portions generally coplanar with said bowls and generally rectangular in cross-section, with their ends turned in toward each other, and flexible springy intermediate portions connecting said handle portions to said bowls; and a grip member comprising two blocks generally flat adapted to fit together face to face, two parallel grooves and a connecting groove in the facing surfaces to accommodate, encircle and hold rigidly said handle portions of said spoon-like members and said spaced apart bowls, the outer edges of said blocks perpendicular to said faces being thin relative to the width of said blocks and generally sinuous to fit comfortably in the hand in a generally uniform position, whereby the bowl of either said spoon-like member will strike the bowl of the other spoon-like member when itself is struck against any ohject due to the flexibility of said intermediate portion,

producing a sound, and then will spring quickly away therefrom due to the springiness of said intermediate portion.

2. A musical rhythmic amusement device comprising a pair of spoons with bowls at their outer ends, arranged back to back adjacent to and spaced apart from each other, and having handle portions generally rectangular Patented" Au'e' T958 in cross section, with their ends turned in toward each other; and a rigid grip member having a pair of spaced apart grooves and a joining groove to encircle and to hold rigidly end portions only of the handle portions of said spoons and thereby determine the spacing between bowls, said grip member having upper and lower faces perpendicular to the planes of said spoons and to said grooves and relatively wide with outer edges perpendicular to said faces,-the outer edges of said grip member being generally sinuous to fit comfortably in the hand, whereby the bowls of the spoon strike together when either of them is struck, producing a percussive sound.

3. A musical rhythmic amusement device comprising a pair of spoon-like members having bowls at their outer ends, arranged back to back adjacent to and spaced apart from each other, and having handle portions lying generally coplanar with said bowls; and a rigid grip member having two grooves that receive and hold rigidly and encircle the handle portions of said spoons, said grooves being spaced apart parallel to each other to determine the spacing between bowls, said grip member lying generally in a plane perpendicular to the planes of said handles along upper and lower surfaces and having outer edges generally perpendicular to said upper and lower surfaces and generally sinuous to fit comfortably in the hand.

4. A musical rhythmic amusement device comprising a pair of spoon-like members having bowls at their outer ends, arranged with the bottoms thereof back to back and spaced apart from each other and having handle portions lying generally coplanar with the bowls; and a grip member having two grooves therein to receive and rigidly hold therewithin the entire end part of the handle portions of said spoons, and the grooves being spaced apart from each other to determine the normal spacing between bowls.

5. A musical rhythmic amusement device comprising a pair of spoon-like members having bowl portions at their outer ends, arranged back to back adjacent to and spaced apart from each other and having handle portions to which said bowl portions are connected by intermediate portions that are springily flexible; and a grip member having means for rigidly supporting the handle portions of said spoons in a stationary position relative to each other so that motion of said bowl portions toward and away from each other depends on and is principally governed by the flexibility and springiness inherent in said intermediate portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 52,186 Montgomery Jan. 23, 1866 77,083 Owens Apr. 21, 1868 416,594 Goddard Dec. 3, 1889 479,636 Droop July 26, 1892 976,718 Bartholomae Nov. 22, 1910 2,159,817 Pierce May 23, 1939 2,472,408 Angelo June 7, 1949 2,616,218 Brown Nov. 4, 1952 2,616,698 Singer Nov. 4, 1952 2,722,148 Woyton Nov. 1, 19.55 

